Old friends never leave
by Lordheaven
Summary: AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brian, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures but the words are mine.**

* * *

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brian, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part I**

The station was quiet at this hour. Colonel Kira Nerris was walking rather aimlessly around trying to shake off the night but it is always night in space. She had been having these dreams again. They were not leaving her alone. Walking aimlessly seemed to help.

The station was quiet. Not a soul was moving. Everyone was asleep except the night guards who promptly nodded when she passed by them. Kira passed by the security office and for a moment she could see again Odo sitting behind his desk reading the latest security report. It brought a smile to her face.

But she did not stay. The memory brought also emptiness and a disturbing sense of loss. She had fallen for the changeling but he had returned to his people in the Gama Quadrant and it was highly unlikely he would return.

The promenade was empty too except a light in Quark's that intrigued her. She opened the doors and saw Quark sitting on the tongo table turning the wheel just as aimlessly as her walk around the station was.

Quark lifted his head and nodded at her. Kira reached the table and sat. There was no need for words. They both had the same thought at this moment, the same feeling – a longing for friends gone. Well in Quark's opinion it was more of good customers gone or rule of acquisition two twenty four or something like that. The Ferengi were difficult to read sometimes but she had come to appreciate at least him.

They stayed like that for some time before Quark remembered his manners and went to fetch a drink for both of them. Kira smiled, raised her glass making a silent toast and drank it to the bottom. Putting down the glass, she stood up slowly and left Quark's.

This place brought other memories – Julian and O'Brian sitting on the bar talking about the next holographic adventure they would have, Jake and Nog scheming about getting or causing some trouble, Benjamin...ah, this was the painful side: Benjamin Sisko, the emissary of the Prophets. And then there was Worf and Jadzia planning for the next glorious encounter in the holographic chambers whether for battle or romance.

But they were all gone, every single one of them. Jadzia had been killed by Dukat, well the symbiot kept leaving in Ezri. Worf had left for Kronos to be ambassador or whatever. O'Brian was with his wife and daughter back on Earth. Julian had been reassigned as well, Nog and Jake too.

* * *

Kira closed her eyes. Every time she thought she kept seeing the dream. Every single one of them smiling and laughing, fighting and hurting, it was too much some times. She thrust her head and continued walking until she stopped again.

She was standing before the sanctum where they kept now the Tear of Prophecy. It was Barell's favourite orb. She had a sudden urge to go inside and have a peek. Maybe the Prophets could help her with the dreams.

She entered walking slowly till she reached the orb's casing. She lit a candle and placed on a handle on the wall saying the praying words then opened the casing's doors. The light of the orb encompassed her and she was no longer in the sanctum.

The vision this time was odd – a beautiful aromatic meadow surround by dark green forest with the sun high up on the bluest of blue skies, completely cloudless. Where was this place she knew not but it was peaceful and soothing.

She heard laughter and sought the source of the sound. And found it not far from her. A tongo table hosted a young commander in a blue suit, an old man and...her heart leapt in her throat – Jadzia.

She could not believe it. It was her dream. It was the dream that has been haunting her for quite some time.

The young commander turned at her. "Come join us Nerris." Startled she backed off and bumped firmly into someone's chest. She promptly turned to face him and froze. It was Ben, Benjamin Sisko. Benjamin smiled wide. "Come, Nerris, come find us…" The words were getting further and farther.

The light of the orb was shining in her face and she was back in the sanctum. But the words of Benjamin still resonated in her mind. But how was she supposed to find the first three that she knew were dead? And Benjamin, he was with the Prophets.

* * *

She needed someone to interpret the dream and the vision. And she got her wish though it was not someone she would have ever considered for that. A figure in red Starfleet uniform was gaping at her with a smile so wide.

"Q!" – She exclaimed her nostrils flaring up. Of all the troubles in the galaxy why did it have to be him answering her silent prayer for help?

"Colonel Kira Nerris," – Q whispered in the air. And as always he stood smug and overly arrogant or so it seemed. Q turned his eyes away and walked out of the sanctum.

With a vague undefined feeling she followed. He had disappeared. She sighed with relief but then she disappeared and reappeared up one level and he was standing near the window his gaze turned into the stars.

"What are you doing here?" – Kira couldn't resist asking.

Q did not reply at once. He continued to gaze into the depths of space. After a long pause and a sigh he said with a low voice. "Sometimes, rare times, the universe answers all calls, all prayers, even those that aren't possible." He turned around facing her, his eyes locked into hers. "Asking has always been a problem for your species. I imagine like the humans you are too shy." He pulled away from her and continued gazing at the stars.

Kira did not respond to this. She knew not what to respond. Q never comes clean about anything. His thoughts are like ropes that disentangle slowly with time.

"There," – Q said and pointed to a star. Symbols representing special coordinates appeared.

"There – what?" – Kira asked trying to get something out of this odd creature that would make any sense.

Q turned around and did the unthinkable. He kissed her before she could even react. "There you must go." And then with his smug smile he disappeared leaving her dumbfounded.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures but hte words are mine.**

* * *

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brian, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part II**

Colonel Kira Nerris was in her quarters trying to make sense of the past few days. Her visions had become more frequent. They were happening whether she was asleep or awake. It was getting irritatingly disturbing.

Closing her eyes she found herself once more onto the aromatic meadow. The colours were just splendid. The blooms have just blossomed. Subtle carried by the wind laughter reached her ears but this time she chose not to seek its source. She had no desire to see again the tongo table with the standard players – a young commander in a blue suit, an old man and Jadzia.

Kira Nerris was not superstitious that much but this was giving her the fright. She was seeing dead people. How can she else explain the presence of Jadzia? And this young commander, she had no idea who he was and yet it seemed he knows her or so it seemed. And the old man she was feeling lost. And then there was Benjamin. Benjamin, she wondered. Were the prophets giving her a vision, but a vision of what?

She had been honoured by the Prophets once or twice but she had never had a vision this persistent, she never had a vision, period. She had gone on vision quests through the orbs yes but this was different. She was having them awake or asleep. Benjamin, he kept being in her visions. She could not help but wonder if he was the one sending her the visions. And then on top of everything, the uncharacteristic behaviour of Q, he kissed her. Kissed her! Call this unusual was an understatement.

But could it be one of Q's elaborate jokes? She kept wondering that too. That super being was unpredictable and his games too. But what would be the purpose of this one? But there were no answers other than Q's invitation to the star he had pointed at her. Nerris did not know what to do – go or not. She was still considering it but couldn't bring herself to go yet she had so much to do here.

* * *

The COM beeped. Nerris sighed and reached for it. "Yes?"

"Colonel, there is an urgent transmission from Bajor!"

"What is it?"

"Vedek Neigh wishes to speak with you!"

"Put him on!"

The screen in her room activated. Vedek Neigh had taken the candidacy for Kai. Since the passing of Kai Winn, the Vedek assembly had still not chosen a replacement. The wounds were still very fresh.

"Vedek Neigh," She greeted.

"Colonel Kira Nerris," Vedek Neigh said. "I'm sorry for the late hour."

"It is alright. What can I do for you? You mentioned it is urgent."

"Yes," Vedek Neigh nodded. "You must come to Bajor."

"Of course, I'll take the shuttle tomorrow."

"No, you must come now."

"Now?"

"Yes, now," Vedek Neigh confirmed. There was firmness and a precipitance in his voice that Nerris could not quite explain.

"Of course, Vedek, I shall!" Nerris severed the connection. She had never seen a vedek this anxious before. But it was poor custom to keep them waiting. She called Ops and arranged a shuttle at once.

* * *

Arriving down on the surface, she landed the shuttle near the temple of Bahal. Vedek Neigh was waiting for her. She disembarked and met him.

"Vedek Neigh,"

"Nerris, please follow me!"

He led her to the catacombs beneath the temple then down some more stairs to a chamber even further down.

"I did not know there was another catacomb!" Nerris observed.

"No one did until recently," Vedek Neigh said. "And we discovered this." He showed her a tablet. "We examined it and discovered that it dates from the beginning of Bajor. It was made shortly after the prophecies of the Emissary."

"Have been able to translate it?"

"Yes," Vedek Neigh replied. "And it is about you!"

"ME?" Nerris exclaimed stunned.

"Yes," The vedek confirmed.

"How can you be sure? The prophecies are always..."

"Unclear?" Vedek Neigh prompted. "True, but this is not a prophecy it is a message for you."

"A message...for...me?" Nerris stuttered. "From who?"

"Ah," Vedek Neigh exclaimed. "Now, this is the interesting part. I believe you sent it to yourself."

"I sent it?"

"Yes, I think so!"

"But...how...I don't..."

"I think you haven't done it yet."

"This sounds..."

"Absurd?" Vedek Neigh came to her aid again. "Time mechanics, Colonel, are complicated. We use to believe that time is a straight line only to find out that is not the case. Many events of the past are constantly reshaped by the future. When the Emissary was here he had his shares of that too. He fought it he resisted it but in the end gave in. We can't fight destiny."

"But you are suggesting that I went back in time and made this message for me. And I don't know even what the message is."

"This is the message..." And he showed her it on his pad. Nerris took one look and then staggered backwards. The words were impossible. 'Come join us, Nerris. Follow the path of the shepherd and seek the light in the night sky. His bliss shall guide you...'

"There is more to the message?" She asked.

"Yes, but this is as far as we have translated it." Vedek Neigh replied.

"Then I shall wait for the rest."

Nerris returned to Deep Space Nine. She was trying to make sense of it all but was not succeeding in the task. Her mind kept returning to the message. 'Follow the path of the shepherd and seek the light of the night sky...his bliss shall guide you...' The shepherd, did herself mean Q? Benjamin had said that they believe they are the shepherds of the cosmos. The light of the night sky – a star, Q did show her a star to go to. His bliss – was that the kiss, how can a kiss guide her, did he put something in her, did he do something to her? Should she follow the instruction or ignore the whole thing? What could possibly prompt her to do so?

She decided to wait for the rest of the message to be translated. But a part of her wondered should she wait after all or not?

* * *

**To be continued...**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures.**

* * *

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brian, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part III**

Nerris' life was turning to a living hell. She no longer had visions but it was getting worse. She now kept seeing her friends – Jadzia, Benjamin, the old man, and the young commander walking around the station and in the next moment it turns out she was hallucinating. She kept seeing their faces in strangers all around her. It was getting intolerable.

The translation of the rest of the message was still not coming. She kept calling Vedek Neigh almost four times a day, sometimes even every two hours and always the same answer not yet. She could hardly live like that anymore. She had become delinquent in her duties. She could no longer focus properly. She asked the First Minister to relieve her of her duties but he refused.

It became even more frustrating when she realized she was like a lonely voice in the wilderness. No one seemed to believe her visions. It was like someone had cut off the cord of reality and she was watching it through a view screen.

Even the doctors were telling her she was perfectly fine but it got worse. One day as she got into the infirmary Bashir welcomed her. She asked the computer to confirm it and the computer said Doctor Bashir is not on the station. Then just as she was leaving the infirmary she ran into Odo and again he was not him. She returned to Ops and found everyone there – Benjamin, Jadzia, Worf, O'Brien. She had shaken her head and stormed out.

She returned to her quarters to hide from everyone. She could take this no more. And then an uninvited thought crawled into her mind. It was something Q had said 'the universe sometimes answers all calls even those that aren't possible'. But she did not ask the universe for any of this. So perhaps it was time she asked.

She called Neigh again. "Give me the entire text."

"But it is not translated yet." Vedek Neigh said.

"Give...it...to...me!" She said slowly enunciating the words.

"Very well," Neigh replied and sent her the whole thing.

"Show me!" She spoke to the air, to the universe, to anyone. To her surprise the computer displayed the whole message. 'Come join us, Nerris. Follow the path of the shepherd and seek the light in the night sky. His bliss shall guide you to the aromatic meadow where all life and the rest coexist – in the plains of heart, hope, light and creation.

Do not be afraid, Nerris. I know I was. Fear not the fright the chills it gives you. Fear not the faces in the crowd. Give in stop fighting it. Every time you resist you deny the existence of your friends of those that are and those that were. Were they of such low value to you?

On the way here, you shall meet him – the resident mystery. He will show you to us. You will find him on the light of the night sky where the shepherd showed you to. Follow him. He is quite the charmer. It was hard to resist and still is.

This is Kira Nerris to Colonel Kira Nerris. Come, all are waiting!'

Nerris stepped backwards away from the screen. Was this part of her imagination too? But if it was it is damn descriptive and precise. Her imagination was great but not that great. She could not have come up with this one her own. Someone or something was helping her. Did she really write this down? But when did she write it in the past or in the future or in the present? Time mechanics were indeed complicated.

'You will find him – the resident mystery,' this echoed in her mind. But her other self did not mean Q. Who did she mean? She somehow doubted she meant Odo. Barail, perhaps, no, it could not be him. He was gone. But then again so was Jadzia. 'Give in to the faces of the crowd' But she couldn't. She could not afford to give in. She would start talking to strangers in the crowd about things they knew nothing of. Everyone would know everything.

Nerris made up her mind. She chose to ignore the whole thing. She returned to duty the next day as though nothing had ever happened. She kept seeing the faces though. But this did not dampen her spirit at all. She maintained her composure and faced them with the daily routine of the station. These faces became part of the day and she treated those faces as strangers as people she had just met. And for a time her solution worked. But it was not meant to be.

* * *

The days were passing by and routine had returned to normal .The faces of her friends she met in the strangers started to subdue and one day vanished completely. She no longer had any visions. Everything was back to normal. She had only deal with the trouble of every day's life. She was not at peace.

One day, Julian came onboard. It was really him. She made sure it is the genuine Julian Bashir.

"It is really so good to see you, Julian." She insisted.

Julian eyed her for awhile then smiled. "Alright, I can't be grumpy with you for long." He hugged her. He had attempted to do so the first time but she did not let him until she had confirmed it is really him.

"What brings you back?" She asked as he pulled back.

"Well, I wanted to see you, the station and there is a...um...lovely girl I met."

"Oh, Julian, I'm so happy for you." Nerris exclaimed. "Is she here?"

"She will be." Julian said. "Well, then, what has been happening while I was gone?"

"Not much," Nerris replied beaming but told him everything except the part with her visions. They were gone for good and she was glad it was behind her now.

Some days later, Julian's girlfriend arrived. Julian and Nerris went to greet her.

"Here we are. Colonel Kira Nerris, this is my girlfriend Jane."

Nerris' eyes however were out of her orbit. Jane was the spitting image of Jadzia just without the spots...

* * *

**To be continued...**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures.**

* * *

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brian, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part IV**

"It is good to meet a coworker of Julian's, finally." Jane said forwarding a hand to Nerys.

Nerys' hand moved automatically without a thought. "Yes, indeed," She said but her voice had gone down and it did not go unnoticed. Julian however was tactful enough not to show it. "Ah, welcome to Deep Space Nine."

"Thank you," Jane said beaming. "I've been dying to see it for ages but never really could. Starfleet kept me busy."

"I know the feeling." Nerys replied and feeling a bit braver added. "Would you like to see it…I mean a tour of the station?"

"I'd love to."

"Julian?"

"Um, I'm going to leave you ladies with that. I'll take care of your bags, Jane." Julian said taking the said bags. "I'll meet you later at Quark's. Have fun!"

"Oh, isn't he the sweetest?" Jane drooled dreamingly after him.

Nerys though rolled eyes. If this would have been the real Jadzia she would have definitely not believed it. But this wasn't Jadzia. It was a different woman despite the obvious similarity.

"Shall we?" Nerys proposed and led the way.

* * *

As it turned out, Jane Xena was part of the explorer division of Starfleet and quite fascinated with astrophysical events of any kind on the exception of wormholes. And this is what Nerys found strange as DS9 was close to one, and yet Jane had said she'd been dying to come. It was an odd contradiction. But then again, humans of Earth often displayed this duality.

Jane also held the rank of Lieutenant Commander. She had been promoted lastly and assigned to the USS Tesla. And obviously she had taken some time off to be with her new boyfriend Julian that had unavoidably scheduled a visit to DS9.

Nerys started to wonder what they really had in common other than Starfleet and Jane's obvious resemblance of Jadzia which she knew would draw Julian like a magnet. Of course, first she had to check if everyone was seeing the same thing as she was. She had a sneaky feeling she was the only one. Thankfully though, she was not the only one.

The tour of the station did not take long for there was not much to see anyway but Jane found everything perfectly exciting. Nerys got to get the feeling Jane did not leave her lab much or very often. It was not uncommon for dedicated scientists though.

They stopped at all spots where Julian used to work or go for a walk. Jane wanted to know and see everything. And for these moments with Jane, Nerys completely forgot her worries. The faces subdued and vanished completely.

Finally they stopped at Quark's. Julian was sitting on his usual table with a drink at hand and was speaking with Quark. The latter the moment he laid eyes on Jane had almost the same reaction as Nerys. His eyes grew widely in surprise but then remembering his manners left the good doctor to greet the new guest.

"I'm Quark, owner of this establishment of entertainment."

"Hello," Jane said. "I'm Jane."

"Beautiful name!" Quark said while getting behind the bar and serving her a drink.

"How did you know?" Jane exclaimed visibly surprised. "It is my favorite," And drank it in one gulp.

"I have an eye for the customers." Quark replied launching his wide open smile.

Nerys' senses however were on high alert once again. Ironically, all Jane liked was sneakily the same as Jadzia, and yet they only resembled each other.

"That's a good trait for a bartender." Jane observed with a smile. "One more,"

"Coming right up,"

Jane, Julian and Nerys stayed late. And it came time for Quark to close for usual customers as it was Tongo night. But Jane insisted on staying and learning of the game. Quark had nothing against and neither did Julian.

Quark and his Ferengi associates played for some time before out of the blue Jane joined the game. Quark, much like Nerys, quickly found the similarities between Jadzia and Jane. Both had the passion of the game and the annoying luck in it.

"We can it a night." Julian said after four hours of straight play.

"I quite agree with you, Doctor." Quark supported the idea. Jane was just as good as Jadzia but perhaps a bit more devious. She had won every game since she joined the table and that was not good for business. "Another time,"

"Yeah, sure," Jane said collecting her strips of gold pressed latinum. "It was a fun night."

"Yes," Julian agreed.

* * *

Julian and Jane bid Nerys goodnight while she walked alone to her quarters. She was very pensive. These past few days were quite eventful – the faces in the crowd, the strange message apparently she had left for herself, and Jane, the doppelganger of Jadzia.

She had not forgotten Q's words either but she was not ready to act upon them. Q had pointed to a star and given her the coordinates. But she could not simply leave everything and ran off to some distant stars in order to clear her vision up. But then again, the persistence of the faces in the crowd was taking its toll too.

She kept wondering of the vision. Now that Jane was present perhaps the others would appear too, one by one. It was a theory that made everything seeming easier and soothing. But was it going to hold? She decided to give it some time.

Julian remained for a few weeks on DS9 and so did Jane. But Nerys' theory did not come to bear any fruits. During that time, there were a few emergencies but nothing Nerys could not handle.

"Alright," She said to herself. "I've delayed long enough."

She had finally given up fighting the faces in the crowd but even so it was hard. Her dreams had slightly changed as of late. She was seeing now only the young commander in the blue uniform. The funny thing was she had never seeing him before. Yes, she did try to hold his image so she could search the database but came up empty.

The week Julian was leaving was the week she decided to leave the station and find the answers to her curious puzzle.

"I hope to see you again, Nerys." Julian said while giving her a hug. "When I come to visit again that is."

"Of course, you will." Nerys smiled.

"It has been an immense pleasure making your acquaintance." Jane said vividly extending a hand that Nerys promptly shook.

"I feel the same way." Nerys answered.

Julian and Jane boarded their ship. Nerys looked at the hatch for a long time before moving on. She returned to her quarters, packed her bags and headed for landing pad C where the Rio Grande awaited.

Boarding, she left her bags and started the preignition sequence. The engines roared, the pad raised the little ship and took off. Nerys entered the coordinates Q had left for her and engaged the ship into warp. The stars merged and she disappeared into the depths of space.

* * *

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures.**

* * *

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brian, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part V**

The Rio Grande exited warp inside a binary system. Nerys, at the helm, rechecked the coordinates but they were fine. Strangely though the database did not indicate the system was a binary one. Using the sensors, she indeed confirmed of the obvious fact. There was no illusion it was real.

The system itself had only four planets in rather close orbits of the two suns and according to the sensors they were all habitable. The coordinates she had pertained to the second planet that was class S but covered nicely with green all over. There was no sign at least from orbit of any oceans.

She directed the Rio Grande down towards the surface while refining the exact coordinates of the landing site she had on file. Having completed that part she finally had the right place to land. The ship gracefully passed through the layers and stood on the surface before a lush forest with odd lime leaves. The leaves themselves seemed to pulsate with the light of the sun.

Nerys scanned for life forms and found many but none that indicated another life form like her. She cursed under breath for listening to that stupid message from the past and Q. Speaking of Q she should have guessed he would send her on a wild goose chase. Of course, she could be wrong and the one that supposedly she had to meet was already her or was going to arrive soon so she left the ship.

The immediate area around her held no dangers as far as her tricoder could tell her. Her eyes scanned the area with curiosity nonetheless. She had been on many worlds but none as enticing as this one. There was some undefined feeling in the air that spelled calamity, peace and order and it was intoxicating.

In just a few paces, she felt younger, stronger and more vital than ever before. The rejuvenation she was getting from this place really had no description. She kept walking and enjoying the scenery around her. At one point, she even started running and taking off some of her clothing. The weather was perfect.

* * *

She lay on the ground. The grass was fresh and soft. Her eyes closed and she fell asleep. She did not dream that dream that has been haunting her for some time now. Instead the dream world took her back at her finest moments, her happiest moments. They weren't many but they were precious to her.

And then there was one that she had obviously forgotten. It was a long time ago when she was still with the resistance. They had tracked down a Kardassian Gul. He was surrounded by his usual guards but among them there was another and he was not Kardassian or Bajoran. He was human.

Nerys focused on the dream and it revealed more. At first she and her mates thought he was Starfleet but his unusual clothing indicated otherwise. He was from top to bottom in silver. A sparkling lime ring adorned his right hand. From her angle she could not see his face but his hair was blonde. He was tall, very tall much taller than Benjamin or Odo.

She remembered though his voice. It was unlike those of the Kardassians it was melodic and beautiful. He spoke firmly and the Kardassians had hard time contradicting him. At one point, they even backed away definitely scarred of the man before them.

She had always wondered why the Kardassians would be afraid of a single human until she met Benjamin and found out that the humans had hidden strength that shows only when necessary and then they are unstoppable. But that man was way more different. His strength seemed to come from everything around.

And it was then when everything went dark and she was back on the grass of the S class world. The suns were setting down as she opened her eyes. She was certain there was more to the dream or memory but she simply could not remember more. It was like someone had erected a solid wall.

Nerys stood up and returned to the ship. It was obvious that whoever she was supposed to meet will not come today. She closed the hatch, scanned the planet again and then went to bed.

* * *

The next morning the suns were high in the heavens when she woke up. Standing before the standard issue mirror Nerys gaped in disbelief. Years have faded away from her. She looked younger and she felt as such too. She had even to fix her clothing as it was no longer appropriate for her waist.

She moved to the controls and rescanned the planet. On the opposite side of her position she picked up another life form like her. Nerys started the preignition procedures and soon the Rio Grande was in the air. She quickly reached her new destination and landed the ship.

The view outside was different. Everything here seemed to be simply wrong. All around her, there was snow and though that is not something abnormal the snow itself seemed to be gleaming in silver. The trees, the bushes and even the grass shared the same quality. According to the scan, the life form was close by but she couldn't see anything.

She left the ship and kept scanning with her tricoder. It indicated the life form was just twenty meters away from her current position. She continued in that direction and reached the point but there was no one there. Frustrated she rechecked the readings and looked for interference but found none. Even more frustrated she sat on the ground. It did not feel wet or cold though on the contrary it was rather warm, which was impossible.

"Kira Nerys, child of Bajor!" A melodic voice filled the air and she recognized it. It was the same voice, the voice of last night's dream. "Life full of torment and pain, suffering caused of hatred, small moments of joy hard to come by. And yet here she is in the autumn gardens of Gallean, lord of life and forests."

Nerys looked for the source of the voice but did not find it. It actually seemed it was streaming from everywhere, vibrating in the air, coming with the wind.

"Who are you? Where are you?" She asked standing up. Looking all around her but nothing had changed. The view was still the same.

"What do you seek in the autumn gardens of Gallean, child of Bajor?" The question came through the ruffling of the leaves.

"I...uh..." Nerys was uncertain what to answer. Her dreams led her here, and Q, and a strange message from the past that apparently she made for herself. "I...um...'m not sure."

A faint but soft laughter filled the area around.

"Uncertainty does not become to a child of Bajor. Speak child!"

The voice was soft and firm, soothing but commanding.

"I...uh..." Nerys sighed lowering her gaze. "I guess it started with these odd dreams of friends long gone. And then..." She paused. The recall of the first moments when she started seeing their faces in the crowd was quite traumatic, shocking and embarrassing. "And then I started seeing their faces in the crowd. At first I thought I was losing my mind.

I asked the Prophets for guidance but none came. The only one that answered my call was ...well I don't know if you know him but everyone else in the galaxy calls him Q. He told me that sometimes, rare times, the universe answers all calls, all prayers, even those that aren't possible and then showed me the coordinates to this world.

And then I had a vision in the sanctum where we keep the Tear of the Prophets. It was the same as my dream. And then out of the blue, Vedek Neigh called and showed me a message from the past that apparently I have written to myself. The message directed me here and told me to look for the resident mystery who shall guide me to the aromatic meadow where all life and the rest coexist – in the plains of heart, hope, light and creation whatever that means."

The soft laughter filled in the air again though it gave her chills.

"The plains of heart, hope, light and creation, you say?" There was another burst of soft laughter. "So be it but are you, Child of Bajor, ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"For the journey,"

"There is a journey?"

"There is always a journey. There is always a path, a long, winding path before your feet to follow."

"Yeah, why not, I suppose!"

The soft laughter turned slightly to a sinister one and it felt like ice cubes down her spine.

"Did you give in to the faces in the crowd, child of Bajor?"

"Yes,"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm, dammit." Nerys exclaimed. She was getting frustrated with all these questions that questioned her.

"Hum, we shall see."

* * *

A mist filled in the area around. Everything changed drastically and was replaced by the station. Nerys saw herself walking around the station and jumping every time she met someone.

With the passing days, it got worse. She had gotten afraid to speak to anyone for it could be one of her long gone friends until the day Q showed up. From this perspective, Q's kiss seemed even stranger but he was good Nerys had to give him at least that much.

She saw herself with Julian and Jane. Her face had been the only thing she had been unable to control. And Julian had seen it. Jane on the other hand had not been paying much attention on the contrary she seemed quite oblivious.

And then in the final days before she made her decision, she did indeed give in to the faces of the crowd. But it was not as brave as she thought at the time or as easy. Her face showed different grimaces every time she would speak with someone that bore the face of a friend long gone.

The vision blurred away and the silvery environment returned. The soft laughter had filled in the air again but it was warmer. "Hard lessons learnt you have Child of Bajor but ready for this journey you are not!"

"I need to see it through." Nerys protested and stammering added. "I can't live like that not knowing. It is torture."

"Life is indeed torture. It is meant to be this way."

"So I would see their faces anywhere I go, forever?"

"You think you can run from destiny, Child? Believe me no one can!"

"I don't have a destiny."

The laughter became more pronounced. "Everyone does, even me! We can run fast, farther, hide even, but it always catches up with us in the end. Some things you can avoid but others you can't no matter what you try.

Go home, Child of Bajor. Give in to the faces in the crowd. Fight it no more. It may sometimes be ridiculous or embarrassing, or even humiliating but it is a road you must walk and wait patiently."

"For what?"

"A sign,"

"How would I know it?"

"When the time is right, know it you shall! Now go, Child of Bajor!"

A mist filled in the area around again. And the only thing she could see was her ship. Sighing deeply, frustrated, she walked to her ship and ventured in. The engines roared and the ship lifted off leaving the autumn gardens of Gallean, lord of life and forests.

As the ship jumped into warp, a figure dressed from top to bottom in silver appeared on the silvery grass near the place Nerys had stood. His ice blue eyes turned to the sky and a smile appeared on his face.

"Until the day, we meet Child of Bajor!"

And then he vanished...

* * *

**To be continued...**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures.**

* * *

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brian, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part VI**

Nerys returned home rather disappointed. She had hoped that meeting the resident mystery would help her put an end to torment of faces alas it didn't. 'A journey,' she thought 'my tiny shiny,' she was not going to play. She was certain with time the faces will simply give up and let her be.

The next morning after her return Nerys woke up to the usual wakeup call the station produces announcing it is o five hundred hours. She got of bed rather sleepy and headed to the bathroom. The rinsing helped waked her up completely. Dressing did not take long. Her uniform was nicely pressed. She straightened it up and left her quarters.

For some reason, it would seem maintenance have outdone themselves as everything around was shinning brighter than ever before. She thought perhaps a special arrival was expected. Yesterday she did not have the time to review the station logs. No matter, it was still very pleasant to the eye.

She imagined the work load these lovely Starfleet officers must have had to make it so shiny and it brought a smile to her face as she entered the turbolift. "Ops," She said rather lazily and the turbolift was on its way.

On the way she thought of the day she had spent in the autumn gardens of Gallean. Despite the disappointment of not achieving her task it was still a memorable experience. Every color of this planet was surreal and yet extremely beautiful. The aroma in the air really had no comparison – fresh aroma of forest untainted by civilization. She could still remember how it felt.

* * *

The turbolift reached Ops and almost automatically she descended without looking at anyone and headed to her office at the top. The doors slid open and she ventured in. She walked around the desk and sat down. Sitting down gave her a strange feeling. When she came to think of it, it seemed as though she had sat down on rather softer cushion.

"Do you mind, Colonel?"

A voice startled her and she jumped off the seat. Then in utter shock realized someone was already sitting on her chair. When her eyes fell on the person in red uniform occupying her chair she screamed and then gaped holding her hand before her mouth.

The face looking back at her was awfully familiar. Heck, it was more than familiar. She knew it better than anyone else. It was the face of her long gone friend and former Chief of Security for Deep Space Nine Odo. The red uniform then retreated and was replaced by the usual brownish uniform.

"Odo?" Nerys whispered still in shock and denial.

"Nerys," Odo said getting up and taking her hand into his kissing it gently.

"I thought you are still with your people on…"

"I was!" Odo replied in his usual short spoken way.

"And now?"

"Now, I'm here. Decided to come and visit. I arrived yesterday but you weren't here."

"I, uh, I was out for uh, awhile."

"I noticed so I decided I would come and wait for you in here. But I never thought I would have become that invisible."

"I'm so sorry, Odo. I have some things on my mind."

"Clearly,"

* * *

Nerys spent the afternoon with Odo. It was a very refreshing experience for her and very relaxing. The usual banter between Odo and Quark was still very entertaining when they went to visit. Odo insisted that he would be staying for awhile, which made Nerys happy.

In the following two weeks, Nerys' mood was perfect but she should have known better. Troubles started to land one after the other and she became very preoccupied and did not have the time for Odo at all.

One evening, she finally managed to get free earlier. She reached Odo's quarters and knocked on the door.

"Nerys," Odo greeted her.

"I'm sorry. I've been much busy as of late but now I'm all yours."

"Good to hear," Odo replied and kissed her, and she kissed him back.

She spent the night with him and it was wonderful. At least something good has happened to her.

* * *

The next day however the faces returned and it presented quite the challenge. Odo of course quickly noticed her odd behavior but she did not share what was bothering her. So he did as he usually did investigate. He uncovered pretty quickly the mysterious message that she received from Bajor.

It was to say the least intriguing. Checking the flight log he discovered the planet she had been on and got intrigued by the readings the ship had taken. It was intriguing and more to the point he knew something of it. He had learnt it during the time he had spent with his kin and decided to share with Nerys.

"What?" She exclaimed when they were alone again.

"I'm sorry but unusual things tend to trigger my curiosity."

"Right," She said not that she was surprised. Odo indeed did not tolerate staying uninformed. "And?"

"And I can help!"

"With?"

"I have heard of the man you have met on the planet."

"What?" Nerys stared disbelievingly. "How?"

"The time I spent with my kind. Don't forget they have been travelling for a long time."

"And what do they know of that man?"

"They know Q is very afraid of him."

"Q? Afraid? Of a single man? That's hardly possible, Odo. They are not afraid of anything."

"Well, apparently we were wrong. Even the Q fear something."

"What else?"

"They say this man comes from another galaxy. His knowledge and power are great. He knows things about space probably no living soul does. He appears only when he's needed and usually heralds great change."

"That is rather vague. Don't you think?"

"Yes, I agree."

"Heralds great change?"

"Yes," Odo confirmed. "They call him Mystery."

"Mystery how quaint."

"You said Q pointed you to go find him as well as yourself?"

"Yes, I did find him but it was rather disappointing." And she told him reluctantly of her experience.

Odo then shared some of the stories he had heard about him and she quickly understood the man's dismissal of her was something rather normal. The man operated in mysterious ways hence the name.

"Odo, he wants me to give in no matter how embarrassing it might get and honestly I can't do that."

"But if you don't then the dreams will never stop."

"There is no guarantee of that whether I comply or not."

"But it is worth trying." Odo pointed out.

"I suppose."

There was some truth to what Odo said. She was losing nothing by trying other than self respect and some respect. The worst that could happen would be everyone would think she had gone crazy but that is something easily explicable and so she gave in though reluctantly at first.

Somehow it was not as bas she thought it would be. True sometimes it was creating really ridiculous situations but it was rather entertaining and funny. She had truly never felt so free even when they were around. It was refreshing experience.

* * *

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own. The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures but the words are mine.**

* * *

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brien, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part VII**

Nerys shift had ended just moments ago and she headed to Quark's for a drink. It was packed with people as usual. Quark was explaining some new scheme to Morn who as usual was paying much attention to his drink but not Quark.

"I'm telling you it is the best gold pressed latinum can buy…" She overheard Quark saying and smiled heading for her table. Quark noticed her pretty quickly and abandoned the talk with Morn. "The usual I presume, Colonel?"

Nerys shook slightly her head still amused at the scene then turned her eyes to Quark and said. "No, actually I feel a need of change."

"So it will be?"

She got herself thinking of O'Brien and Julian. "What the heck – single malts!"

Quark eyed her disbelievingly but moved away to bring her the beverage. The replicator had several of the Earth's beverages on record. It was not the real deal so to speak but then again that was the purpose of syntechol.

"Single malt – twelve years old," Quark said and put the glass with the amber colored beverage before her. "Peanuts to go with?"

"Please,"

Quark disappeared back to the replicator and then returned with a small bowl, and placed it before her. "Starting early today?"

"It is not alcoholic, Quark."

"True," Quark replied and headed back to his bar.

* * *

Nerys tilted her head and closed eyes. A memory of O'Brien and Julian resurfaced. The two were just getting down from the holo suits dressed in odd furry clothes, crowns and swords having fought some battle of Irish Kingdoms. Both sat on the bar ordering the single malt whiskey. The glasses clinked and the bottoms were up. And that will go for several more times before they would stand up and sing some glorious song, and then leave.

In a way, it was like seeing Jadzia and Worf coming from one of their holo suit programs dressed with Klingon battle robes and the Bak'lets. They were not much on singing but still it was so entertaining.

Nerys opened her eyes. The bar was still packed with people from half dozen races most of which were cramped at the Dabo tables trying their luck. The faces were there too. It was sometimes odd to see the face of Benjamin on a Klingon, or Jadzia on an Andorian, or Julian's on a Cardassian, or O'Brien's on a Bajoran but there it was. The faces were there whether she wanted to or not.

She embraced them usually as complete strangers but sometimes, rare times, she couldn't. At these times, they say something that was awfully familiar with the particulate person and she couldn't simply ignore it hence the creation of very funny awkward moments. She had gotten used to that already.

* * *

Odo had left just this morning. He said he had some errand to run on Earth and then he would come back again for several days before leaving for good back to his people. She saw him to his transport the Orinoco. They kissed goodbye and he left.

These past few weeks he had brought her back to life. But now, she was not sad and she did not miss him, which she found a bit strange but only a bit. It has been years since they had not seen each other. The pain of his departure healed long ago.

She returned her focus on the people in the bar. It was just in time to see Garak enter. He was the resident Cardassian slash spy slash tailor. It seemed the latter he enjoyed the best. There were of course other Cardassians now living on the station but it was still nice to see him.

"Colonel, may I?" Garak said as he approached her table.

"Please," She gestured and he sat promptly ordering his usual though noticing her amber drink.

"I had some new materials delivered from Bajor." He began eyeing her as he usually did. "I think they would make excellent new fashion trend."

Nerys rolled eyes. "I suppose then I shall be passing to take a look."

"It will be much appreciated." Garak replied while his eyes were scanning the surroundings. Some habits obviously died harder than others. "I can fit something special for you at reasonable rate."

"That would be lovely, Garak."

Garak usually got apprehensive when she was too nice or polite and while today she seemed in perfect mood Garak couldn't help but appreciate the sincerity that streamed from her answers.

"A fitting then shall we say twenty hundred hours?"

"Why not?"

"Marvelous," Garak said taking a small gulp from his beverage. Cardassians or specifically Garak did not drink or eat anything fast. He always took the time to enjoy his meal or drinks.

Nerys knew Garak had been pardoned and he could return home any day but it seemed he was home already. DS9 grows on people with time and like charm entices the soul and mind and never allows anyone to leave. Well not really but figuratively it was very true.

Nerys could have any post her heart desired but she would trade her current assignment with nothing else. DS9 was the trade port of the sector and the greeting host for the wormhole. Every day thousands of people would come – some for business, some simply using the port as intermediary to go somewhere else, and some to visit the famous station, and then visit Bajor. Being a member of the Federation had its benefits.

Bajor created two colonies in the Gamma Quadrant and trade there was going well. The races of the Gamma were many and diverse. The cultural exchange programs the Bajoran government had organized had much success both for Bajor and the other races.

Having bolstered their relationship, Cardassia and Bajor lived in blissful harmony. The great damage done to the planet was mostly restored. The Cardassians have been very cooperative and Nerys would have thought it possible. The lessons they learnt during the Dominion war were invaluable.

"Well then we shall meet in half an hour."

Nerys drifted out of her thoughts as Garak was leaving. She nodded at him. It is usually difficult to shut Garak up or try to play along with his riddles and twisted meanings. How time flies when one is having a nice converse with oneself? It is way quieter and much more relaxing.

She took a sip from her amber drink for the first time and the savored though non alcoholic aroma filled her nostrils. It gave her pleasure and a sense that today was indeed a good day, a productive day.

Across the bar in a dark secluded corner, a pair of ice blue eyes observed Nerys. She did not see them as the owner of the eyes did not wish to be seen, not yet anyway. The journey she had undertaken unknowingly but then again if she knew she would not give in. It was best this way. Some challenges to the horizon were approaching. The eyes were very interested to know how she would handle them.

* * *

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own. The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures but the words are mine. **

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brien, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part VIII**

The starship Nebraska docked with DS9 at upper Pylon Six. The doors slid open and the passengers disembarked pouring into the famous space station. It was famous because of the pivotal role it played during the Dominion war and the wormhole to the Gamma.

Miles Edward O'Brien looked around with the usual undefined and very itching feeling of fixing something. He had thought that after all this time he would not feel this way but it was hard to resist the urge. This place housed Cardassian, Bajoran and Starfleet technology. It was bound to have problems on daily basis.

He passed through the doors leading to the Promenade and stopped to absorb the view. It hardly had changed since he left. There were of course a few new shops held by both Bajoran and Cardassians, also a few entertainment zones, probably expansions of Quark's. Speaking of Quark's, it was his first visit. There were many memories in there – the darts board and the holo suits.

How many hours have he and Julian spent in there? There were many by his account – racket ball, and different battle scenarios, ah the Irish battles. He missed those. He still did them from time to time but they were not the same with Julian. He and the good doctor did get in touch but Julian was assigned permanently on some remote station in the Beta Quadrant while he was spending his time on the Nebraska as Chief Engineer.

His wife Keiko had taken a few assignments studying flora on some planet in the Gamma Quadrant. His daughter, following in his footsteps, was in Starfleet academy and as he last checked in the lead position among her classmates. She was making him very proud. Anyway he received Keiko's message. She was returning from the expedition soon and so they set a meeting place, which happened to be the old place DS9.

* * *

"Chief,"

It was Quark's unmistakable squeal. He could never tell whether it was genuine excitement or simple business greeting.

"Quark," He greeted frankly.

"Raktajino or perhaps something more exotic,"

"The former will do fine." Miles said and sat on the bar. "Morn, good to see you too,"

Morn nodded in his usual silent way raising a glass to acknowledge his presence.

"What brings you to DS9, Chief?"

"We were in the neighbourhood." Miles replied taking a sip from his beverage.

"We?" Quark stared at him. "Dr. Bashir with you too? Where is he?"

"No, no, Quark," Miles chuckled shaking head. "The Nebraska, my ship,"

"Ah, yes, of course," Quark squealed. "I remember Nog mentioning it. Congratulations, chief engineer, you deserve it."

"Thank you, Quark,"

"Of course the station can use you too."

Miles rolled eyes. Quark was still the same. Ferengi had always had difficulty with change.

* * *

"Mr. O'Brien,"

Miles turned and came face to face with Colonel Kira Nerys.

"Colonel," He acknowledged her with a quick hug for welcome.

"What brings you here?"

"The Nebraska was in the neighbourhood and I'm waiting for Keiko. She is due to come back from her survey tomorrow so we set a meeting here."

"How's Keiko doing?"

"She is well. She is working on Terra Geist studying the ecosystem." Miles replied and then added with pride. "Lead researcher,"

"Terra Geist, I've heard of it. It is a class L planet?"

"Yes, Starfleet is most likely to establish a permanent colony." Miles said. It was common knowledge at least among Starfleet. It was not like he was divulging a secret he thought amusedly. "And probably a few shipyards,"

"Well, good to see you again," Nerys said and walked away.

* * *

Miles shook head and headed to his usual table on the second floor. Quark showed up shortly after with a glass of fuming liquid. He just left the drink and returned quickly back down to yell some waiter. It brought a smile to Miles.

It was then Miles noticed a note left on the table with his name on it. It was not typed but handwritten. He looked around but did not see anyone that could have possibly placed it there. Intrigued Miles opened it.

'You're a lucky man, Mr. O'Brien but life has a way of balancing unequal situations. Your recent victory is about to bite you in the back badly. Do enjoy your Raktajino!'

Miles jolted out of his seat and looked frantically around. He understood perfectly well the meaning of this message and he did not like it even one bit. The recent victory involved the fall of four government officials back home suspected of Section 31 involvement. His participation in this operation however was classified. There were very few people that knew about it.

Has Section 31 got a wing of his activities? But how, Miles thrust head. No, it was not possible. He stayed off their radar. Did he? Section 31 was full of tricky bastards. One never truly knows with them. The part about his recent he understood but not quite the second part. If the section was aware of him he would not have made it out of Earth's orbit?

'Miles Edward O'Brien,' he said to himself. It was possible this had nothing to do with this recent victory. It could be something else entirely. He sat back down and calmed his breath, and took a sip from his Raktajino. But what other recent victories did he make? He had to think and think hard. He did not like the tone of that message not even one bit.

* * *

Colonel Nerys was in her office when the com unit beeped. She entered her security code and the small screen activated. On the other side, she saw the face of Gul Ablant. She has been occasionally conversing with him in matters relating mutual pacts.

"Gul Ablant," She greeted rather coldly. She could never get used to speaking with Kardassians. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Hardly, Colonel," Gul Ablant replied and Nerys sensed he was disappointed with her though he understood the source of her enmity. "I trust I'm not disturbing you?"

"Not at all, it is a slow day."

"Well, as Humans say it is about to hit the fan."

Nerys frowned at this blunt statement. Gul Ablant always started using Federation phrases when he delivers bad tidings.

"What's going on?"

"Two of our mutual posts in the Gamma went silent." Gul Ablant replied. "The Bajoran main beacon followed it just an hour later. Colonel, we lost contact with your Gamma colony..."

"What? Why isn't this coming from the government?"

"The Kardassian freighter the Deliver just now made contact with our advance post in the Gamma. How they made to the post will be anyone's guess..."

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"The freighter has been shot to hell. It was returning from a supply mission to Terra Geist..."

"Wait a minute! Terra Geist?" Nerys' face lost all colours. It was the place where Keiko O'Brien was on expedition.

"Yes, the freighter had taken a few passengers – two Bajorans, four Kardassians and one Federation scientist – Dr. Keiko O'Brien..."

"Is she alright?" Nerys exclaimed. "Her husband is here..."

"She's in critical condition. As I explained the ship was shot to hell and I'm aware of Mr. O'Brien's presence on the station, which is why I am calling. I understand the USS Nebraska is docked."

"Understood. Sent me all you have."

"Of course, I shall arrive in two days."

"You?"

"Yes, the Kardassian government doesn't take lightly what has happened. I will be arriving onboard our new class destroyers."

"We will wait for you. Deep Space Nine out," Nerys severed the link. She lowered her eyes. Hit the fan, ah, damn Kardassian was right. Not only had this but she had to tell the Chief the bad news.

Nerys stood up and walked to the door. She stopped right before it and leaned on it. Recent reports from the Gamma said everything was quite. Even Odo said so, so what was going on? Sighing, she straightened her uniform and ventured out.

"Lieutenant Ken," She called.

"Yes, Colonel?"

"You will find Chief O'Brien in Quark's. Bring him to the briefing room. On the double!"

"Yes, Colonel,"

Nerys smiled for a second. She was even picking up the Humans phrases now. Federation influence, she supposed. She walked to the turbo lift and set for a few levels down to the briefing room.

She made contact with Starfleet Headquarters and spoke to Admiral Nechev. She was responsible for the Gamma Quadrant. The admiral listened to her and promised to send the closest ship for assistance and put her in charge of the investigation.

* * *

Miles flew in through the doors like he was having the entire Jem Hadar army after him. He took notice of Nerys at the head of the table.

"Colonel!" He said panting. "Your lieutenant mentioned it was urgent."

"Yes, it is. Sit down Chief." Nerys said trying to sound firm but really couldn't. Having studied the data Gul Ablant had sent she did not feel very optimistic.

Miles did not like her tone even one bit but obliged.

"I'm not entirely sure how to convey this to you, Chief..." Her voice trailed off and Miles' senses were on red alert. It was either something bad or something very bad. And since he knew the colonel had almost no patience for humour when her voice was that grave it was definitely something very bad not to mention he was starting to have a bad feeling himself. Nerys stood up and went to the screen activating it. Miles recognized at once the name of the ship, the Deliver. It was supposed to be the ship bringing Keiko to DS9 from Terra Geist.

"Colonel?" Miles raised his voice looking sternly at her.

She sighed and pressed another button. Miles' stomach lurched. The image showed the Deliver. It looked like someone had beaten the shit out of it.

"I'm sorry, Chief..."

"NOOOOO..."

* * *

**To be continued...**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own. The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures but the words are mine. **

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brien, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part IX**

**Previously:**

"Colonel?" Miles raised his voice.

She sighed and pressed another button. Miles' stomach lurched. The image showed the Deliver. It looked like someone had beaten the shit out of it.

"I'm sorry, Chief..."

"NOOOOO..."

* * *

**And now:**

Miles was out of his skin. He crawled on all four his hand stretched forward. He was a pitiful sight. Tears freely poured down his cheeks. His world had come crumbling down. No, it couldn't be. He couldn't have lost her.

Nerys walked to him and helped him up giving him a pat on the shoulder. She then sat on her seat. "I'm sorry, Chief..."

"She can't be de...d...d..."

"Oh, no," Nerys quickly shook head realizing she had taken this way out of line. "But she is in critical condition."

"How bad is it?"

"I'm not going to lie to you. It is bad."

"No," Miles buried his hands into his hair.

"The USS Nebraska is now under my command and the USS Bossley is due to arrive tomorrow morning. We will be joined by the Kardassian destroyer Govak too. I promise you we are going to find out what happened."

"Where is Keiko?"

"She is at the Kardassian outpost in the Gamma. Gul Ablant assures me she is getting the best care possible."

"We...we...have to leave now."

"The Nebraska is leaving in two hours. I will join you tomorrow."

"But you said you're in command."

"I'm in command of the mission yes but not of the ship. It is still going to take you there. Pack your things, Chief."

Miles swallowed and stood though he stood rather disoriented. All this had been a severe shock for him. "Ah, yes, of course, right away,"

Nerys threw him a sympathetic look. She knew how he feels. She felt this way many times.

* * *

The USS Nebraska departed as soon as Miles boarded. It entered the wormhole and headed straight for the Kardassian outpost at maximum warp. Miles could hardly find his place on the ship. He was pacing up and down his quarters worn out of worry. The feeling of powerlessness was overwhelming his emotions over and over again. He had uncontrollable itching to go out and push the ship to go faster.

"Bridge to O'Brien," A voice interrupted his pacing on the com. Miles recognized the captain's voice. She was a good captain, one of the best now in Starfleet.

"O'Brien, here,"

"Get on the bridge,"

"I'll be right there."

Miles left his quarters and was soon on the bridge. The captain was in her chair. She waited for him to sit beside her.

"Ensign Vaco, drop out of warp."

"Yes, Captain,"

The Nebraska slowed down to impulse. The front view showed the Kardassian base. It was just as ugly as every other Kardassian installation as Miles duly noted. There were no ships in the area other than a few runabouts, or at least the Kardassian version of them.

The Nebraska cut the distance to the station and reached the docks. On the left, they saw the Deliver. It looked worse than they had thought. The image they had seen definitely looked better.

There was no hull spot that did not have dark traces of phaser fire. There were also many holes on it as well. As it seemed the ship had lost atmosphere on several decks. On other places, the hell metal had simply melted. Miles started to wonder how it made it to the outpost.

"This is Kardassian outpost X51." A voice came from the com.

"This is the USS Nebraska, Captain Hiroshi Matsuma."

"We've been expecting you." The Kardassian replied. "Is Chief O'Brien onboard?"

"I am." Miles replied.

"You'd better come aboard. Mrs O'Brien has just gotten out of surgery. The doctor is optimistic but she is not out of danger yet."

"Go!" Captain Matsuma said.

Miles left the bridge and headed six decks down to the transporter room. He materialized a minute later inside the outpost. A Kardassian lieutenant was waiting for him.

"This way, Mr. O'Brien." The Kardassian said and led the way.

They reached a room where Keiko was lying. There was a doctor hovering around her and with sudden relief Miles recognized him.

"Julian!"

"Miles," Julian sounded happy to see him though certainly not under these circumstances. They had a brief hug.

"How is she?"

"It is too early to tell." Julian replied. "Come with me. Now she needs rest."

They went into the adjacent room and there Julian told him of her condition. Miles sat heavily on a chair burring once again his hands into his hair. She was not out of the woods yet. He knew of course Julian had done everything to save her life.

"How did you get here?" Miles asked after a rather lengthy moment of silence.

"I was in the neighbourhood. I came to drop some supplies for the Kardassians when the Deliver came."

"The others onboard?"

Julian shook head. "One Bajoran and Kardassian made it the others were not so lucky. Their bodies were simply too much burnt. The Kardassian captain apparently left the bridge with the rest of the command crew when it blew up..."

"Then how did the ship come here?"

"I don't know. The Kardassians aren't saying anything and besides I've been busy."

"Thank you, Julian,"

"Anytime, Chief, anytime," Julian's voice dropped down to a whisper.

Miles knew how he felt. As a doctor, he hated losing lives on his watch. Still there was some hope. He gave a pat to Julian's shoulder and went back to Keiko's room. He was not about to leave her side. If she wouldn't survive he truly no idea how he would tell his daughter. No, he thrust head again he can't start thinking this way. She will make it. She has to.

* * *

The next day, the Kardassian warship Govak and the USS Bossley arrived. They began analyzing the Deliver. Colonel Nerys was with Gul Ablant. The latter was weapons and explosives' expert.

The data they collected however did not make much sense. The weapon signature was not in the database. It is energy based though not phaser or disruptor. The readings suggested a form of high yield fusion with elements of nanites particles, which was an unusual combination. Nanites technology usually suggested the presence of the Borg though nanites technology was not exclusively theirs.

The confusion was more in the area of how the ship returned home since its bridge was blown up before the ship jumped to warp. The structural integrity of the ship was severely compromised and couldn't have allowed the ship to enter safely warp.

Further investigation revealed the warp engines were not active at the time the ship jumped and this deepened the mystery. While examining the other hull, Colonel Nerys discovered something. It was focused burnt area. It was separate from the attack damage. Nerys searched the rest of hull for the same burnt area and found three more scorch marks equally positioned around the ship.

This discovery suggested well Nerys was not certain what it did. The burnt marks were at equal places around the strongest parts of the ship. But at these places there was no damage. Further detailed scanning revealed the burnt marks were of focused energy particles with unusual structural cohesion. Gul Ablant suggested it could be a tractor beam and while it had some merit it was not certain.

Even if the ship was towed with tractor beams there was no sign of any other ship when the Deliver appeared on the sensors of the Kardassian outpost. Further speculation argued the ship or ships that towed the Deliver must have been cloaked. But even so no cloaked ship could possibly be cloaked and in the same time tow another ship unless the tractor beam was cloaked as well and that is preposterous.

Sadly there was no definitive answer explaining what had happened. The new weapon signature was entered into the Federation database but that was all. Probes were sent to the coordinates were the ship was attacked but nothing was found. The black box of the Deliver was never recovered thus they had no visual record who or what attacked the ship, and why.

Keiko O'Brien spent almost three months in recovery but eventually got better. She was sadly a poor well on information as at the time she was sleeping. The other Bajoran and Kardassian were no help either. The mystery of the Deliver remained a mystery.

Starfleet in their infinite wisdom decided it prudent to increase their personnel on Deep Space Nine and add a prototype warship to provide additional security to the space station. Colonel Nerys was opposed to this idea but had to swallow it.

The new ship, the USS Ardent, arrived shortly after. It was roughly the same size as the Defiant but its technology was solely Federation. The only non Federation component was the Romulan cloaking device. The ship had no captain though. It was commanded by Commander Charles Tucker. He was rather young, twenty seven years old but charming.

Colonel Nerys came to greet him at the docking gate and as it opened she froze. The young commander was exactly the same as the one she saw in her dream. He was playing tongo with Jadzia and the old man.

Will she ever get to the bottom of her dream? Nerys wondered. She had thought that with the mystery of the Deliver life has returned to normal but apparently she had been wrong.

* * *

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own. The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures but the words are mine. **

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brien, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part X**

Colonel Nerys just finished her shift and left the control room. The turbo lift stopped at the promenade and she bumped into Commander Tucker.

"I'm so sorry." Nerys said apologetically.

"It is alright." Commander Tucker cracked a smile. "It happens to all."

"My mind was somewhere else."

"Ah, the events of last month, I'd wager."

"No, but that too," Nerys said. Truthfully the dream occupied her mind. She had started seeing them all again. Will she ever get to the bottom of it? Will she ever find peace or will peace find her? Bajorans do not have such vivid dreams and even those that did the dreams were considered visions.

"Good day to you, Colonel," Commander Tucker said and promptly moved into the turbo lift.

"Ah, good day," But the commander was already gone. At the very least, the dream was unfolding and the pieces were on the move. She started wondering if the old man would not be next.

* * *

Nerys thrust head. One of these days she would have her answer but until then she just wanted to relax. Quark's was the closest thing to it though it packed as usual. There was something in the ambiance that was captivating and oddly relaxing.

She ordered her usual and just sat and observed. People liked playing Dabo. They enjoyed their victories and sour losses just the same. Quark's waiters with trays in hand mingled among them. Raising her eyes to the second floor where couples sat together enjoying a drink and the company. Yes, it was just a normal day in Quark's.

She failed though to see the man sitting in a dark corner observing her. He had been there since she returned from the strange planet in the Gamma Quadrant. Of course even if she looked in that direction she would not see him. He did not want her to see him. It was not time yet though her journey was close to its end.

Nerys stayed late. She did not feel like sleeping. In truth she was afraid of the dream. For her this was becoming a nightmare and one she could not get rid of. Sadly, the body had its requirements too and so she was fast asleep.

* * *

The first thing that woke her up the next morning was the sound of the general alarm. A slight annoyance crawled at first into her mind. If this was a drill someone was going to lose a head but then a slight tinge – her gut feeling told her otherwise.

She reached for com badge. "This is Colonel Nerys. What is going on?"

"Colonel, sensors picked up four transwarp corridors ten million kilometers away at coördinates seven four two by six one six by three nine zero."

"Transwarp?" She repeated sleepily and then the information announced caught up with her – transwarp. There was only one race that used transwarp corridors – the Borg. "Have any ships appeared?"

"Not yet,"

"Lieutenant Mays," Another voice joined the conversation. "Sensors are picking up sixteen Borg vessels emerging from the apertures."

"I'll be right up!" Nerys said. She dressed quickly and left her quarters.

Reaching the control level, she saw only panic in the Starfleet and the Bajoran officers. At any given point they had dealt with one maybe two Borg ships at a time. Sixteen ships were however a different story.

"Colonel Nerys," Lieutenant Mays, the Starfleet third in command, came to her. "The Borg vessels, they are coming. Their heading is us."

"Alright, calm down," Nerys said raising hands. The officer showed signs of listening to her, which was a good sign. "Have the Defiant and the Ardent ready for combat, raise the shields around the habitat and carry out evacuation procedures for the civilians."

"Yes, Colonel," Lieutenant Mays said.

"Tell all of them to pack light," Nerys added and went to the console housing the sensors.

"Colonel, I have the Nebraska online too. They are requesting to speak with you."

"Put them on!"

The screen activated and Captain Matsuma appeared.

"Colonel, good morning,"

"Captain,"

"I had a feeling the Borg might be responsible for the Deliver and come to finish the job!"

Nerys shook head. "I don't think it is the Borg. They rarely leave anyone without assimilating them or destroying them."

"True but in the past the Borg had proven their tactics can change."

"No, I think they like their methods. Those will not change."

"Anyway, they are here."

"Speaking of which something is wrong."

"How so?"

"They are taking their time coming to us."

Nerys was not wrong. The Borg ships should have already reached the station but instead they travelled with an eighth of their usual speed and this was unusual. If Nerys did not know better she would say they were being cautious. It was like they were giving them the necessary time to fully evacuate the station. Something was definitely not right here.

"Have they scanned us?" Nerys asked.

"No," Lieutenant Mays replied.

Nerys was pensive. Something did not add up here. This was most unusual Borg behavior. And it became even more unusual when the Borg ships stopped at a distance of sixteen thousand kilometers and just stood there.

"What are they doing?"

"Nothing, Colonel, they are just…standing still."

"Contact the Ardent," Nerys ordered.

Commander Tucker filled in the screen. "Colonel,"

"Are the Borg defenses up?"

Commander Tucker moved away to check and returned. "No,"

"What are they waiting for?"

"I wish I knew." Commander Tucker replied. He was also displaying signs of perplexity.

Half an hour passed and still the Borg did not show any signs of their intentions. Suddenly the wormhole came to life.

"Something is coming through."

"Define something?"

"It could be a ship but the sensors are having trouble determining what it is."

"What?" Nerys exclaimed. She moved to the sensors' console. Lieutenant Mays was not wrong. The sensors have detected a general shape of the incoming object but there was interference preventing them from making a proper identification.

* * *

Nerys turned her eyes to the screen. Out of the mouth of the wormhole the object emerged and everyone understood the trouble the sensors were having. It was not something one sees every day. The shape of the ship was definitely not part of the database. It had an iceberg form.

The awe of the strange ship passed quickly as the Borg ships came to life. They moved to intercept it. Sensors indicated the Borg weapons have come online. It was now clear their target was this ship. How they knew it was going to come here was anyone's guess.

The Borg opened fire as soon as the iceberg ship was in range. Their powerful phasers however inflicted minimal damage. The moment the iceberg vessel replied however the sensors identified it as something familiar.

"Sensors identified the weapon signature." Lieutenant Mays reported. "It is the same as the one that attacked the Deliver."

"What?" Nerys exclaimed and came to verify but there was no mistake. It was the same weapons' signature. So it was this thing that attacked the Deliver and killed so many. Curiously, this revelation presented a dilemma and Nerys was certain she was not the only having the same thought.

They could not of course let the Borg get their hands on this ship and its technology. However do they just watch on the side how this battle unfolds or do they do something? But if they do, do they help the Borg or the intruder? The Borg ships are a constant threat to anyone but the intruder did attack one of theirs for no clear reason.

* * *

While Nerys pondered their next move it became clear that though having superiority in numbers, the Borg ships were unable to take down this unknown enemy. In fact, the intruder has already taken down four Borg ships, and the fifth and the sixth followed soon after.

"Colonel, more transwarp corridors opening at six nine zero, three six nine four," Lieutenant Mays announced.

"How many more?"

"Ten, no, correction, twelve, no, fourteen…" Lieutenant Mays said trying to keep up with increasing numbers of transwarp corridors.

Sensors clearly showed the presence of twenty-four extra Borg ships. They joined the battle hoping to balance the scale. Their scanning rays unfortunately achieved nothing as the moment they reached the intruder's surface the rays dispersed. So it was only Federation technology that was having trouble with the ship, Borg technology was having the same problem.

"Colonel, what do we do?" Lieutenant Mays asked.

But Nerys did not know what to reply. If the Borg with overwhelming numbers could not take down this enemy then what would they do. And they punched the enemy ship with powerful beams and still achieved nothing. The damn iceberg was intact.

* * *

Things got a lot worse when another iceberg ship appeared out of nowhere. The sensors only registered it when it came close. It was the same size and punched the same firepower. Eight more Borg ships joined the others in oblivion.

Nerys was at a loss what to do. The sudden loss of balance brought her on her knees. One of the iceberg ships fired at them and their entire defense grid fell. Sparks filled the control room and alerts flashed. The structural integrity of the station was compromised. And then completely uninvited the dream returned to her.

Nerys saw a hand before her. She took it and looked up, and froze. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Nerys, you and you alone hold the key to solving the current situation. Call his name! Call his name…" The voice faded away and the shape of the person before her lost coherence but she was up on her feet. "Call his name! Call his name…"

"His name…" Nerys repeated. "I don't know his name. Help me…help me…dammit Benjamin…give me something…"

"Colonel, are you alright?"

Nerys looked up. She was still on her knees and hovering around her was Lieutenant Mays. He looked concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine." Nerys replied sharply. Apparently she had talked to the air again. It was getting frustrating. "Damage report?"

"We lost all defenses. The power couplings overloaded. Structural integrity is down to seventy-six percent…"

"Weapons? Nerys asked standing up.

"They are down as well. Venting atmosphere on several of the lower decks, the emergency force fields are in place."

"What did they hit us with?"

"It was a single blast but it was widely spread. I have never seen a beam like this one."

"There is a first time for everything I guess." Nerys said. Their situation was not good. The Borg situation was not good either. Their numbers have decreased as well. They were down to four ships.

"More transwarp corridors opening,"

"Where?"

"Right on top of us," Lieutenant Mays replied.

"How many are there?"

"Well, wow!" Lieutenant Mays couldn't help but exclaim. He did not need to say anything. The sensors and the view screen said it all. An armada of Borg ships emerged. They ignored the station and headed straight for the enemy ships and soon engaged them.

* * *

Just as everyone thought it could not get any worse they were proven wrong. Six more iceberg vessels emerged from the wormhole. The battle got uglier but the Borg ships were losing ground quickly. Their ships were powerful but the enemy ships were more powerful though the Borg kept sending more and more reinforcements.

"I think it is time for us to vacate the area." Captain Matsuma said over the com. "Abandon the station, Colonel. There is no other choice now."

"We can't just leave."

"Colonel, a single shot of these monstrosities took out all of your defenses. The Borg can't stop them. We have to regroup. The Defiant is out of commission too."

"I agree." Commander Tucker joined the conversation. "I will tow the Defiant but we have to leave. We are no match for this firepower without the support of Starfleet's armada."

"And my world?" Nerys asked.

"So far, the enemy ignores the planet below. They are more interested in blowing the Borg to bits." Commander Tucker said.

"But they did fire on us?"

"I would too." Commander Tucker said then seeing everyone's expression added. "Well, it is tactically sound. It doesn't matter whether we are a threat or not. You never leave your behind exposed."

"Right," Captain Matsuma said rolling her eyes. "Colonel,"

"Alright," Nerys ceded. "Lieutenant Mays, begin evacuation of all personnel." She was not fond of the idea to leave but sadly they could not take another shot. It will certainly destroy the station. And Commander Tucker was right so far the enemy was ignoring them. If they interfered any further this could change quickly.

* * *

In the times of the future, this engagement came to be known as DS9 Victorious where victory was secured in the most unorthodox way (but for this later). For now, everyone left the station. Nerys was last to leave. She was so to speak the captain of the boat and the captain always leaves last.

The last she saw before the Nebraska jumped to warp was more transwarp corridors opening around the station. The sensor sweep indicated the presence of one hundred Borg vessels furiously engaging the intruders' fleet.

And just a split second before the Nebraska jumped, she heard it again. "Call his name…"

* * *

**To be continued… **

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own. The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures but the words are mine. **

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brien, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part XI**

Nerys stood in the briefing room of the USS Enterprise, the pride and flagship of Starfleet Command. She was alone and waited for the others to come. The reports they received from Bajor were not encouraging.

The battle above Bajor still continued. The numbers of Borg ships had increased almost twice as have the enemy's. The Borg ships however have somehow managed to destroy one of the intruders' ships. Perhaps, the overwhelming numbers were finally paying off.

* * *

The doors opened and Starfleet officers poured in. Nerys recognized some of them but the others were complete strangers.

"Colonel Nerys,"

Nerys turned around. It was Captain Troi (the former Will Riker). He had command of one of the new type of Starfleet ships – a battle cruiser. The increased level of threats roaming the Federation had forced Starfleet Command to change their view and started building warships instead of the standard stream of exploration vessels.

"Captain Troi," Nerys greeted extending a hand that Captain Troi promptly took and kissed. Some things never change. The man was gallant to a fault.

"Please be seated," Admiral Nechev announced. "Commander Tucker, would you please?"

Commander Tucker nodded and stood next to the view screen that he promptly activated. The image showed Bajor, the wormhole and Deep Space Nine. Nerys relaxed visibly. The station was still intact.

"The Borg presence in the Bajoran sector has increased to four hundred cubes and spheres over the last few days. The unknown intruder's fleet's size also has increased to thirty-six ships.

We know the Borg have destroyed at least one enemy ship and damaged three others. So far both keep ignoring Bajor and DS9, and our scout ships. The latter have provided us with information about the enemy's ships.

I should tell you now it is not pretty. Our analysis of the enemy's firepower is complete and it is very frightening."

"How is that?" Captain Troi asked.

"We, Captain, use phasers. They use zero point energy based weapons."

"Zero point energy?" Captain Picard exclaimed stunned. "But this is almost..."

"Indeed," Commander Tucker said gravely. "Their ships' defences are also something terrifying. It may seem to look like an iceberg but it isn't. It is an alloy that according to our analysis is stronger than anything we have ever met. It is not invulnerable as the Borg have proved but it is extremely hard to penetrate and phasers won't do it."

"So what did the Borg use?"

"We believe the Borg used tricobal devices to penetrate the hull and then old-fashioned phasers. The tricobal device used by the Borg had a yield about a thousand times more powerful than ours."

Everyone looked at Commander Tucker dumbfounded. They all had the same thought. Who were these beings, their ships so powerful? Where did they come from? And how did they miss a race this powerful? But more to the point how were they going to defeat them should the Borg fall?

"Starfleet has a problem." Commander Tucker shared. "They are not sure on how to deal with an enemy this powerful. The Borg, we found a way but these beings, their ships are too powerful."

"Or we can let the Borg finish them off." Commander Riker said.

"We could do that Commander but…" Commander Tucker said. He did not really need to finish the sentence they all understood too well. The dilemma, Starfleet had, was the same they had now. If they let the Borg win, they will get their hands on very powerful technology while on the other hand if the intruders win they would go on rampage and no one can stop them.

"You are right, Commander." Captain Picard said. "We do have a problem."

"How do we solve it?"

* * *

Nerys was half listening to them. Her eyes were open but she was no longer aboard the Enterprise. She was instead on the green grassy hills. Jadzia and an old man stood before her playing the annoying Ferengi game Tongo.

"Ah, Nerys, it is nice of you to finally join us." Jadzia said and smiled.

Nerys watched mesmerized and rooted. She could not move, well she could but she did not know what to say fearing it would show in the briefing room. She had enough embarrassing moments to last a life time. So she chose only to nod.

Jadzia continued playing. She turned the wheel and it span. "Evade." She said. The old man spun it on his turn. "Confront." They continued playing until the pile of gold pressed latinum was no more.

On the last game, the old man confronted. Jadzia showed her hand. "Damn, you got the mystery. It is not polite to beat your elders."

"You are after all a sore loser just as Benjamin said you would be."

"Mind your words, young initiate." The old man said but he was not serious. Soon the two laughed. "The lord of all…"

Jadzia in this moment turned at Nerys and whispered. "Call his name to the stars and he shall come. You are nearly there, Nerys."

"Face the Ichorians and call his name."

"The who?" Nerys whispered.

"The Ichorians, you know the iceberg ships." Jadzia replied.

"Who are they? How did we miss them?"

"They are from a far place. They are also a vicious race. They cannot get a foot here, Nerys. The Borg, you can deal with, them not so much."

"Call his name?"

"Yes, Nerys," Jadzia nodded. "You have everything you need. Now go and then come join us."

The green grassy hills faded away. She was back in the briefing room of the Enterprise. The discussion continued. Commander Tucker argued passionately with Commander Riker. Nerys got the impression it was a cock-fight.

* * *

"Commander Tucker," Nerys said aloud interrupting the two.

Commander Tucker turned away from Riker and looked at her.

"Prepare the Ardent for immediate departure we are done here." Nerys said with authoritativeness.

"Yes, Colonel," Commander Tucker nodded. "Until next time, Riker,"

"I can hardly wait." Commander Riker replied belligerently.

"Colonel?" Captain Picard looked at her questioningly.

"It is obvious today we achieved nothing new. This discussion is pointless meanwhile Bajor runs the risk of paying the greatest price."

"Colonel, Starfleet…."

"I have had enough of Starfleet policies, Captain Picard. If I wait for them to get something done, I will die of old age." Colonel Nerys said. She stood up and left the blinking hard Captain Picard.

* * *

The USS Ardent left the Enterprise and jumped to warp.

"Where are we going, Colonel?" Commander Tucker asked.

"Back to Bajor,"

"With the enemies fighting it off?"

"Yes, Commander,"

"I take it you have a plan."

"Sort of,"

"It is very reassuring."

* * *

Nerys entered her quarters. She began pacing. A plan she did not have. She had a part plan – get there. Her visit to the grassy hills suggested she had everything she needed. But she was uncertain what she had. Jadzia suggested she did.

Nerys recalled the entire experience but she obviously misunderstood it. What did she have? She saw games of Tongo but how did this help her. The memory shifted. She remembered now more clearly. Most of the games were uneventful. It was the last game.

This time she did not focus on the exact words used. Words describe different things in different context – a metaphor. If she interpreted correctly their meaning, Jadzia and the old man described their situation.

"Aha!" Nerys exclaimed loudly. Now it became clearer. What did the old man say? 'You got the mystery, the lord of all.' She did wonder at the time what he meant. Could it be this simple – Mystery, Lord of all or was it Lord of all Mystery or simply Lord Mystery? And then she remembered what Odo told her and all became clear or so. 'Face the Ichorians and call his name.' And that was what she would do.

* * *

The Ardent arrived in the Bajoran system. The space around planet was filled with debris part Borg part Ichorian. It was now a graveyard and yet the two continued battling. How many had to die before they stopped? Was this technology and wish for conquest worth all this death?

"Bloody hell," Commander Tucker exclaimed. "I'm not sure what your plan is Colonel but I don't think we should stay."

"Take the Ardent right before the Iceberg fleet." Colonel Nerys commanded. Commander Tucker however turned to face her. He stood before her with all the signs of utter fear and confusion.

"Would you care to repeat?" He asked finally finding some words to express his feelings about this order.

"You heard me, Commander." Nerys replied adamantly.

"You can't be serious?"

"I am!"

"Colonel…"

"Execute my order, Commander or I will find someone who will." Nerys narrowed her eyes and Tucker saw in their fiery 3.

"Yes, Colonel," He ceded. He pushed the pilot away and took his seat. "Will the lead ship do?"

"Yes, it would."

Commander Tucker exhaled loudly and executed her order. The Ardent headed straight for the hostile forces. The ship zigged and zagged dodging enemy fire until it finally stood before the mighty number one iceberg ship.

"Open the channel," Nerys commanded.

"Channel is open."

"Ichorian vessel, this is the USS Ardent actual speaking. Your ships violate Bajoran space. Leave immediately or suffer the consequences."

A sound reminding of laughter filled the speakers onboard. A figure in magenta attire filled the screen. "This galaxy belongs to the Ichorian Imperium now. We scanned your planet and your defensive and offensive tools. We are no match for us and neither are these cybernetic beings. You are now under the rule of the Ichorian Imperium."

"Oh, well, you had your chance. Now you will suffer the consequences." Nerys replied with flames in her eyes. "Commander Tucker, direct the signal towards open space."

Commander Tucker looked at her and then turned around. There was a small smile on his face but no one saw it. "Yes, Colonel," He said. "Channel is open."

Nerys gathered her strength and courage. She did not know what to expect next but this was probably the last stop on her crazy journey. In a way she would miss seeing faces in the crowd. "LORD MYSTERY!"

Her words amplified resonated in the cosmos and even the Ichorians heard her. The Borg ignored everything. To them this name meant nothing.

"LORD MYSTERY!" Nerys repeated and sensed hope.

A white green rift in space opened and…

* * *

**To be continued…**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own. The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures but the words are mine. **

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brien, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part XII**

**Previously:**

"LORD MYSTERY!" Nerys repeated and sensed hope.

A white green rift in space opened and…

**And now:**

The Ichorian fleet ceased firing. Even the Borg stopped. It was a sight unlike any other. The white green rift grew in size until it became as large as a planet. Its light pulsated. Ripples crossed its threshold and a massive fleet emerged. The USS Ardent officers stood mesmerized and terrified. Never before have the likes of such ships come in Bajoran space.

The form of the ships was unusual by anyone's standards: rectangular at the base and resembling much a closed book and skulls with fiery red eyes atop, and an eerie green mist surrounding them. The strange fleet quickly surrounded the battling forces of both the Borg and the Ichorians.

The latter regrouped quickly to meet this new threat they knew all too well. Of all the obstacles they could have met this was the worst. It was their enemy, their oldest enemy. The iceberg vessels opened fire and the battle continued with unseen fierceness.

The Borg, uncharacteristically, stayed still. Nerys suspected they wanted first to assess this new threat before joining the battle. Soon, scanning rays appeared. Upon contact however with the eerie green mist they dispersed.

The new arrivals ignored completely the Borg. Their focus was into the icebergs. Their superiority showed quickly. The iceberg ships began cracking under the pressure and soon were nothing but dust. The Borg made another attempt.

The strange fleet opened a white green rift and disappeared. Only two ships stayed. They turned to the Borg fleet. Four blasts came from the fiery eyes and each destroyed an individual Borg vessel. And then there was silence. The rest of the Borg turned around and jumped to warp. They had no wish to battle an enemy so powerful.

The USS Ardent stayed at its place until approached. The strange ships scanned it and then moved to Deep Space Nine. Commander Tucker was just about to give an order when they all sensed a beam encompassed the ship and towed it.

"Lieutenant,"

"I'm sorry, sir. There is nothing I can do." Lieutenant Hamish at the helm replied.

"What kind of beam is that?"

"Unknown,"

"Excuse me?" Commander Tucker turned to his science officer.

"It is not on the database, Commander."

"Use the sensors to find out. Analyze it!"

There was a pause. "It is of the same eerie green mist that surrounds the ships. The sensors are unable to find it."

Commander Tucker faced front and a smile again appeared on his face. Even the most advanced sensors in the Federation could not tell what the mist is. And this was good. For now, this level of technology is out of reach.

* * *

The ships set them free when they reached Deep Space Nine. They themselves docked at the upper pylons. Nerys was impatient to finally meet him. The man she called to save them – Lord Mystery. Technically she already met him at the Garden planet in the Gamma quadrant but she never saw him face to face.

She disembarked as soon as the Ardent docked. She headed for the Promenade. The place was deserted. No one has come yet. It was sad to see the corridors empty. They were usually full of life.

"Child of Bajor, we meet again." A melodic voice filled the air and she recognized it at once.

She turned around and finally came face to face with him. Dressed from top to bottom in silver attire, his ice blue eyes pierced her. She felt like being x-rayed. She felt naked under this gaze.

"Thank you," Nerys said averting her eyes from his. She felt her cheeks blush.

"Your journey is at an end, Child of Bajor, well, very nearly."

"Nearly? What's left?"

"There are a few details to fill in." Lord Mystery replied.

Nerys wondered what these details were and the knowledge came back to her quickly. She needed to go into past to leave herself a message so the circle of time is complete. She looked at him and saw him smiling.

"Come," He whispered and extended a hand. She walked the distance between them and took the offered hand. The touch was soft and warm. She felt sleepy but thrust head. It was not the time to fall asleep.

* * *

They entered inside the Bajoran temple. The Tear of the Prophet was there but he stopped in the middle of the room. The warmth of his hand increased and though Nerys fought back the sleep her eyes felt heavy and closed.

Lord Mystery let go of her hand and reached for the orb. The light of orb touched him but nothing happened. The prophets inside their temple shivered. No living creäture could resist the power of the orbs. Lord Mystery however was different in ways they could not conceive. He took the orb in hand taking it out of its casing. He placed in the air and it floated at Nerys' head level.

Lord Mystery began a slow chant. The sound resonated in the room and spread out. Soon the entire station echoed with it. Those in the ships heard it too. An eerie green mist encompassed the station and soon it melted away leaving behind only the docked ships. Commander Tucker aboard the Ardent disappeared as well.

Nerys opened her eyes. She was still in the room and the orb floated before her eyes. It did not have its usual brightness. Lord Mystery was nowhere in sight. Her left hand raised and touched the orb. Nothing happened. This panicked her. The orb had no power. It was not possible.

She touched the orb again and again nothing. Nerys turned around and walked out of the temple. Her attempt to move the orb failed. Once outside, she looked in both directions but there was no one. She tapped her com badge but only static replied. She walked to the upper ring and took a peek outside. There were no ships docked.

Something else was different. She noticed it almost at once. The stars, the stars were different. They were not her stars. She quickly understood she is no longer in the Bajoran system. She was somewhere else. She turned away and headed for Ops. Arriving there she checked the sensors. Sadly they could not tell her their current location.

"Where am I?" But there was no answer.

She wondered what she had to do. Why bring her here wherever here was? He said she still had some things to fix. She imagined it was the message she left for herself in the past for the future or something. Time mechanics complicated things.

The eerie green mist appeared around the turbo lift. She waited for something to happen but nothing did. Actually she got the impression it waited for her. She hesitated for a moment and then walked towards it. She stepped into the turbo lift. It descended and stopped at the bottom of the station. The buttons on it stopped working at this point. She had no choice but leave.

Stepping out she looked around. Everything was normal. She did not understand the point of being here. She continued walking though. Perhaps something will show her what to do or at least…something. She thrust head. This puzzle thing was not her thing. She craved in battle situation not puzzles, cryptic puzzles.

"What do you want of me?" She said loudly hoping something or someone would answer her and give her directions but there was only silence. Exasperated she sunk on the stone cold floor. The constant puzzles and lack of answers tried her. She had no wish to fight anymore him, her or whatever. What she needed was answers. Why is so difficult to have even one clue given properly?

The conversation she had with him popped into her mind again. He said destiny. She had no destiny not like Ben, or Cochran, or Kai, or anyone famous. She was just Nerys. She was a Bajoran with twisted past and hope for the future. She was not part of some fantasy place where impossibilities meet.

And yet here she was wherever here was. She survived the attack of what did he call them – Ichorians. It was a race with ships so powerful not even an entire armada of Borg could stop and yet he swoops in the last moment with ships taken straight from a book and destroys them like they were nothing. Call this crazy call this anything and she was nowhere near understanding why she is here or what she has to do.

Was she now in the past or the future or somewhere so far away no one can hear her scream or find her? Where was she? What was the point of that message? What is the point of the dream? She had no answers. She did not understand any of this.

How long she stayed on the floor she did not know. She felt hunger some time ago and thirst but now she was ok. She was more than ok. She felt light, lighter than ever before. She thought perhaps it was her time to melt away like the station did. Her life force slipping away she could feel it. Well she had a good run and it was time to let go and get some rest. There was no more fight left in her. She was so tired. Her eyes closed. Her breath was shallow and soon was no more. One more breath and it was gone. She was at peace now. A shadow appeared around the corner where she laid. It picked her up and walked away.

* * *

The station melted away and returned. The ships were once more docked. It was as though the station had never left. But it did for a split moment. The crews of the ships rushed out of the ships looking for her and Commander Tucker but did not find them. The sensors confirmed they were not onboard. The sensors however could not tell them where the station went.

The station disappeared for a split moment. Well not a split moment but the disappearance lasted thirteen minutes. Sadly there was nothing in between. There was no sign where the station went. Even if the sensors did pick up something it was unfamiliar and thus the system could not find it.

Further investigation revealed something else disappeared. The Tear of the Prophet was no longer there either only the casing remained. And the last thing gone was the wormhole. Ship's sensors confirmed it was never there in the first place and yet everyone remembered it. It was a curious contradiction.

Starfleet assigned their best to solve this mystery for mystery it was. How can one remember the war with the Dominion, the wormhole, the Prophets, the Gamma Quadrant, the remains of the alien ships that fought the Borg and yet all sensors confirm there was never a wormhole of any kind ever-present at that place? It was weird.

It got even weirder when they got confirmation of the disappearance of Doctor Julian Bashir, ensign Nog, Ambassadors Worf and Odo and Chief O'Brien came to pass. No one could find them. And again sensors confirmed the places they were at never existed in the first place.

Doctor Bashir was at a conference on Drelock Seven but there has never been such a planet in the first place. Starfleet assigned Ensign Nog to serve aboard the Black Horse and the people who assigned him clearly remembered this but there was no such ship in the database, ever. Ambassador Worf was on route to meet ambassador Krelak who apparently never existed. Ambassador Odo was on his way to Deep Space Nine but as it turned out the shuttle he used was never built. Chief O'Brien supposedly was with Keiko O'Brien but though many remember it Keiko O'Brien turned out to be a fantasy character in a book.

If there was some grand design present then it did one hell of a job. Everyone could remember the missing but the places and the ships no one. It was as though they never existed. Starfleet suspected time distortion but at unrecorded previously level. It was an unprecedented situation.

The situation got out of control when other impossible things occurred. Reports reached the ears of the Federation of old enemies reappearing, events that have already happened happening again, and then there was Earth. On the planet several centuries met. Several centuries occupied the same space. But what hit them really were the clocks. They had stopped, paused at the exact time Nerys and DS9 disappeared in the first place. The irony was that no one had noticed before. It was as though time had come to a halt and at the same time history happened all at once. The situation was unprecedented. Panic swelled throughout the galaxy.

* * *

Somewhere no one really knows where Nerys rested on a bed with linen pillows and satin sheets and grass everywhere surrounded it. There was a forest nearby too. It was of dark but old trees with massive trunks and large branches. There were no birds in the air or anywhere on wherever this place was. But there was an aroma in the air and for anyone who inhaled it the scent was different. There was also no sadness as the feeling one gets from this weird place was joy and euphoria.

Nerys' eyes flickered and flew open. She sat up quickly her gaze soaking in the surrounding environment. It was not the place of her dream but it was close. She wondered where I am and again there was silence. There was also no one around to answer it anyway.

The melodic voice of the resident mystery filled in the air.

"Welcome, Child, home!"

"Where is…where am I?"

"You are on Bajor!"

* * *

**To be continued…**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own. The characters and universe of Star Trek belong to Paramount Pictures but the words are mine. **

**AU/DS9: It has been years since everyone left – Benjamin, Worf, O'Brien, Nog, Julian and Odo. But then why Kira kept dreaming of them being together? And most disturbingly she kept seeing Jadzia, an old man, and a young commander playing tongo.**

* * *

**Old Friends never leave: Part XIII**

**Previously:**

Somewhere no one really knows where Nerys rested on a bed with linen pillows and satin sheets and grass everywhere surrounded it. There was a forest nearby too. It was of dark but old trees with massive trunks and large branches. There were no birds in the air or anywhere on wherever this place was. But there was an aroma in the air and for anyone who inhaled it the scent was different. There was also no sadness as the feeling one gets from this weird place was joy and euphoria.

Nerys' eyes flickered and flew open. She sat up quickly her gaze soaking in the surrounding environment. It was not the place of her dream but it was close. She wondered where I am and again there was silence. There was also no one around to answer it anyway.

The melodic voice of the resident mystery filled in the air.

"Welcome, Child, home!"

"Where is…where am I?"

"You are on Bajor!"

**And now:**

* * *

Nerys' face depicted an exclamation mark. Did he just say Bajor? The thought expressed itself loudly in a form of a question that she shouted into the stillness around.

"BAJOR?"

She heard a soft laughter and a whisper in the slight breeze. "Yes."

"How can I be on Bajor? It is not possible. This is not Bajor."

"Yes, it is." The voice replied. "It is how this planet looked before you colonized it."

"I...I'm tired of this game. Show yourself."

The resident mystery's figure shimmered into existence near her. He was once more in his silver attire and a smile danced on his lips.

"Game? Oh, dear child, if I played a game you would know as it will look very differently."

"What is with everyone and cryptic messages?"

He laughed. "The messages are not cryptic, Child. It is you that simply lack understanding."

"Right,"

Nerys looked around. If this man was right and this was Bajor before her people came then she was the first person on this world. She was the first Bajoran.

"Can I look around?"

"Do!"

* * *

She walked for hours before she spotted something familiar. She was so convinced she was not on Bajor so when she saw the landmark she had doubts no more. Her planet was beautiful. And there was no damage. It has not happened yet. The Kardassians have not come to strip mine her world and destroy its beauty. And she wanted to keep it this way.

"But you can't." His voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Stop that!" She exclaimed loudly but then added calmer. "I wish I could."

"Bajor is a beautiful world and it can be again."

"It will take too long."

His soft laughter filled the air. "Humans," He added.

"I'm not..."

"Yes, you are." He said. "You are all humans just born on different worlds. The human race is one of the greatest and it will exist a long time."

"I can't say I agree with your interpretation."

"Right, there," He pointed at a hill nearby.

"What's there?" Nerys asked.

"Go and find out,"

"Do you ever give a straight answer?"

"I always do it is just the others that can't keep up." And he left her.

Nerys shook head but headed towards the hill he pointed her to. There was nothing out of the ordinary at least . She was certain he did not point it for any reason. She stood on the hill and wondered.

And soon it hit her. She stood on the foundation hill of the Bajoran capital. She began seeing the rest of the city revolving around her. She did stand right in its dead centre. It is here the first temple stood, the temple of Bahal. It was also here Vedek Neigh found her message written on a tablet. But he said it was after the prophecies for the Emissary. So why did the resident mystery bring here now? It was too early.

"It is too early." She said aloud as well.

"Or so you think," His whisper said carried by the wind.

"I'm tired of this."

He appeared near her. "You people never listen. It is pitiful."

"I do listen. You just talk in riddles."

He let out his soft laughter and smiled at her shaking head. "Remember the dream and all that came after it. And when you are one with yourself you will understand." And he vanished again.

"Oh that's very helpful." She said and sat on the grass burying her hands in her hair. Why did he think she would ever understand his gibberish? Remember the dream. She did not need remembering it. She dreamt awake and asleep for so long she knew it by heart.

The green grassy hill – there are many anywhere in the galaxy, on any planet. There was also dark forest with bluest of blue skies completely cloudless. Nearby was the tongo table that hosted the young commander that she knew now as Commander Tucker, Jadzia as Jane, the old man was still a mystery, Benjamin, well he's, he's Ben, and Worf, Nog, O'Brien and Julian they were back in the future at different assignments as well as Odo.

* * *

The next thing to remember was Q showing her the way – the shepherd of the stars. He, her mind went blank here. He...he kissed her. Of all the things she would have never seen this one coming. He kissed her. The Qs usually do not kiss or at least she's never seen one, well this one. It is so unusual for Q to behave like a normal man.

Of course then she thought he did something to her so she could find what needed finding. But no, he did not. The only thing he achieved was shock, genuine shock. But it was this shock that convinced her to go. It was an act so unusual for Q that he mind accepted the invitation though not at first. She was suspicious. She still was, is.

His bliss, she was still uncertain what her other self meant by bliss. And then the text continued – aromatic meadow where all life and the rest coexist – in the plains of heart, hope, light and creation. The first time she heard that or read it she thought it was the temple of the wormhole aliens. The message said a plain where things intersect. But now she was not so sure about this.

The next thing was the faces in the crowd. She could not get rid of them. Her friends were everywhere and in everyone. There was some wisdom in that. Everyone on the station carried the memory of these people with them and in a way her friends were in everyone's mind and heart. And thus seeing them was not such a mystery. It was probably her mind trying to tell her something.

The something was that she neglected them. She had not spoken with Julian, O'Brien, Worf and Nog since they left. She had not gone to the temple to pray for Jadzia. The memory was too painful. And Odo, well, this was even more painful. She knew where he was but she could not bring herself to go there. And Benjamin, well, he disappeared in the caves of fire. It was a cursed place. She could never go there. And though she knew he went with the Prophets...well, she sighed deeply. She needed rest from this much thinking. It was exhausting her. She was nowhere near understanding let alone reaching the point where she sent this message.

It was enough for today thus she left the hill of Bahal. She needed rest. She found some shade in a forest. She had her back at a tree and she was fast asleep. She did not dream the dream this time it was simply her and her confused thoughts but no dream. And thus she had for the first time a peaceful night.

* * *

The next morning she woke up under the same shade in the forest. The aroma in the air was still the same – sweet and fresh. There was no sign of Lord Mystery. She did not expect him to be around. He seemed to want her to discover the answers all by herself.

She left the shade and the forest. Her feet took her where she ran along the rest of the resistance so long ago. She did realize though she was still in the past and none of it has come to pass yet. This also reminded her she had to find a way to leave herself the message.

A sudden noise made her stop and look for the source. Her eyes sought the sky and she saw several objects fall near her. They were too small for ships or even meteorites. She reached the crash sites and saw in the fuming craters, and gaped. They were orbs, the orbs of the Prophets. But how was this possible? The orbs in her time were never on Bajor. They found each of them drifting in space somewhere around Bajor. All of the orbs were present even a few she had never seen before.

Their light however did not incur a dream or vision. She supposed it was not time yet. But then asked herself how would these orbs find themselves in the places the Bajorans found them if there were all here now.

She picked up the first closest one to her. It was the Tear of the Prophet. It was Benjamin's orb. He once said that the Prophets live outside of their own time continuum. She hoped it was true so she could make contact with him. Sadly it did not work or perhaps she did something wrong.

"Benjamin," She whispered one last time.

"He can't hear you." Lord Mystery's voice filled the air around her.

"Why not?"

"The link of your time and the one here doesn't exist."

"But he told me the Prophets exist outside of time..." Nerys said but Mystery's laughter drowned the rest of her sentence.

"Outside of time?" He repeated. She saw him appear and hit the ground with a fist bent in two and laughing hysterically. "Outside of time...hahahaha...that was a fun one, Colonel. Outside of time..."

"What did I say so funny?"

He composed himself and stood up. "There is no such thing as outside of time. Time is everything and it is everywhere. Without time there is nothing."

"They do not understand the concept of time."

"You mean they do not understand your interpretation of the passage of time?" He said. "That is different, Colonel. It is not the same. Time never stops for anyone or anything. The Prophets exist in a different time stream outside of your continuum but not outside of time itself. What a ridiculous notion!"

"It is not ridiculous. It is what they told us."

"You don't believe everything the Q say, do you?"

"Well, no, but the Qs aren't exactly trustworthy."

"And the Prophets are?" Mystery broke into laughter again. "Oh, dear child, your understanding of the inner workings of the universe is so limited. Believe me I know these creatures better than they know themselves. Much like the Q they would never show who they truly are."

"They helped us, they help us."

"Oh, yes, that they do no one denies that but then again so did the Q a long time ago. The Qs are the shepherds of the stars. Their duty is to keep up the balance and help those that come after them. Some Qs like the one you know are more...how should I put this...more abstinent in their duty. But none of this is your concern."

"Then what is?"

"You wanted to go somewhere?"

"Yes, the plains of hope..."

"And you haven't found them yet?" He interrupted.

"Find them where? They can be anywhere."

"Or nowhere..."

"What?" Nerys exclaimed. This man made less and less sense.

"Trust your feelings and those who sent you the dream. You have all the ingredients. The one thing you lack is faith in them and in you." And he vanished again leaving her to ponder the meaning of his words.

"What does this mean?" She shouted but there was no response. She hated riddles and cryptic messages.

How was she to find something, which is everywhere and nowhere?

* * *

**To be continued in the last chapter...**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


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